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Week 15 Opponent Preview: the Pittsburgh Steelers

December 13th, 2012 at 2:51 PM By Nick Sharp

Another fine contribution from guest writer Tim Walsh

The Dallas Cowboys will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in a matchup that is vitally important for both teams in the home stretch. With 3 weeks left of the regular season both the Cowboys and the Steelers have the postseason lights looming within their grasp. The Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting at 7-6, good for second in the AFC North, and control their own destiny as they are currently slotted in the second wild card spot in the AFC. The Dallas Cowboys, at 7-6, are just one game behind in both the division and wild card. The road ahead looks to be a very close race, but one thing is for sure, this Sunday’s matchup is a huge game for both teams.

A repeat of Super Bowl XXX would be a nice outcome for the Cowboys (Al Bello / Getty)

The Steelers are coming off a 34-24 loss to the San Diego Chargers, and have lost three out of their last four games. Ben Roethlisberger returned to the field last Sunday after being sidelined with an injury for the 3 games prior. The Steelers have one of the top defensive units in the game, despite injuries including star Safety Troy Polamalu. Pittsburgh ranks 1st in overall rushing yards allowed, and 5th in passing yards. Pittsburgh looks to get back on track after what has been a rough couple of weeks, as they have the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets right behind them in the standings, both looking to seize any opportunity to jump into that second wild card position.

As opposed to the rough stretch of the Steelers, the Cowboys are coming in hot, winning four of their last five. This has been an up and down year, including an injury-plagued season for Dallas’ defense, along with last week’s tragic death of teammate Jerry Brown. However, they have still been able to put themselves in a position for a late playoff push. The Cowboys had a big scare last week against the Cincinnati Bengals with WR Dez Bryant hurting his finger. Bryant says he wants push off surgery until after the season, and plans to play on Sunday. Dallas has a hard schedule in front of them as they play the New Orleans Saints and Washington Redskins in the final two weeks. Given the totality of the situation, this seems as though it is a must win game for the Cowboys. How do you think the 'Boys will fare in this matchup of two of the most storied teams in the history of the league? Sound off in the comments, on Facebook, or simply use basic telepathy skills to wire me your thoughts. Thanks!